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Head-to-head · Game Texture Software

Adobe Substance 3D Designer vs Material Maker

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Adobe Substance 3D Designer #2 in Game Texture Software 9.1/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Adobe
Material Maker #5 in Game Texture Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Material Maker

Adobe Substance 3D Designer leads on 0 checks, Material Maker on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAdobe Substance 3D Designer · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly Material Maker
  • Free trialonly Adobe Substance 3D Designer
  • Most featuresAdobe Substance 3D Designer · 4 of 4

Adobe Substance 3D Designer scores higher on our rubric for game texture software: 9.1 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

Material Maker offers free plan; Adobe Substance 3D Designer doesn't.

Adobe Substance 3D Designer is the better fit for professional procedural material authoring. Material Maker is the better fit for free procedural material creation.

  • Adobe Substance 3D Designer fits best

    Professional procedural material authoring

  • Material Maker fits best

    Free procedural material creation

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Side by side

Feature Adobe Substance 3D Designer 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Material Maker 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.5
Ranking #2 in Game Texture Software #5 in Game Texture Software
Best for Professional procedural material authoring Free procedural material creation
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 6 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features Adobe Substance 3D Designer 4/4 · Material Maker 1/4
Texture baking ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Procedural materials ✓ ✓
UDIM support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Game-engine export ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Primary workflow Material_authoring Not checked yet
Supported platforms windows, macos, linux windows, macos, linux
Our review
Pros
  • Deep node-based, non-destructive procedural material workflows
  • Integrated mesh baking with UV-tile and UDIM support
  • Exports, APIs, and integrations for major 3D tools and engines
  • Open-source node workflow for procedural PBR materials
  • Supports Godot, Unity, and Unreal export workflows
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Cons
  • No free plan is available
  • Access is sold through Substance 3D collections rather than Designer alone
  • Student and teacher access is limited to personal, non-commercial use
  • 3D model painting is labeled experimental
  • Focused on materials rather than a wider asset pipeline
  • No paid tier for organizations seeking tiered plans
Our verdict

Adobe Substance 3D Designer is a desktop application for creating procedural 2D textures, materials, filters, patterns, and environment lights. It is designed for technical 3D artists and production teams in games, visual effects,…

Read the review →

Material Maker is a free, open-source desktop tool from Rodz Labs for creating procedural materials through node graphs. It is aimed at artists, technical artists, game developers, and other users who need customizable PBR materials on…

Read the review →
  1. Adobe Substance 3D DesignerGame Texture Software 9.130-day trial
  2. Material MakerGame Texture Software 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Adobe Substance 3D Designer — where it wins

    • Deep node-based, non-destructive procedural material workflows
    • Integrated mesh baking with UV-tile and UDIM support
    • Exports, APIs, and integrations for major 3D tools and engines

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Access is sold through Substance 3D collections rather than Designer alone
    • Student and teacher access is limited to personal, non-commercial use

  • Material Maker — where it wins

    • Open-source node workflow for procedural PBR materials
    • Supports Godot, Unity, and Unreal export workflows
    • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux

    Where it doesn't

    • 3D model painting is labeled experimental
    • Focused on materials rather than a wider asset pipeline
    • No paid tier for organizations seeking tiered plans
  • Adobe Substance 3D Designer9.1/10 · 30-day trial

    A deep procedural material tool for production pipelines, with paid-only access.

    Visit AdobeFull verdict →
  • Material Maker8.5/10 · Free plan

    A free node-based material tool with broad engine exports and experimental 3D painting.

    Visit Material MakerFull verdict →

More comparisons

All game texture software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update